All I'll Ever Need
by shopgirl152
Summary: Welcome to Night Vale. In the face of death at the hands of Miniature Citizens, there is only one thing Carlos can think about; the impending death…and the man he's secretly loved for an entire year... Carlos/Cecil.


**A/N 1: **It finally happened; I finally wrote a Welcome to Night Vale fan fiction. (I've actually had ideas for several of them, none of which have come to fruition yet). Anyway, this is kind of a retelling of the One Year Later episode, but with just the main story arc and told from Carlos point of view. Enjoy!  
**A/N 2:** Certain lines of dialogue, as well as the Apache Tracker's Russian, were taken from cecilspeaks dot tumblr dot com. I do not own them; they are the product of their creators.

* * *

"I need to see him. I just need to see him." I can feel the blood pool around my body from the accompanying injuries. If I don't move soon, I'll bleed out. I try so sit up, but the little people who are habiting lane five of the Desert Flower Bowling Alley and Arcade Fun Complex push me down, poking me with strewn projectiles and throwing explosives close to my face.

"Please. Stop attacking me. I beg you!" Tears well in my eyes. Not so much for the pain, although it is excruciating, but for the man I have secretly loved for one year. Cecil.

Cecil Gershwin Palmer. The voice of Night Vale radio, the voice that speaks to me in my dreams as I sleep, the voice that I haven't been able to get out of my head since the day I first came to town.

Oh god. What if I never see him again? My breathing becomes labored. Every single breath is a challenge, full of pain. I can feel the internal injuries to my lungs. "That's it, it's all over. Cecil, I am so sorry I never—" my vision becomes cloudy, like the ever changing sky over this god forsaken desert town. If this is the end, I don't even—

"Наконец, мое время пришло!"

My gaze trails upwards to the ledge everyone else is standing on. A Native American Man wearing an indian headdress flies off the ledge, landing in the pit next to me. I can only assume it's the Apache Tracker, the racist man Cecil's told me about.

He swings his hatchet from side to side, slicing and dicing the miniature citizens, who flee. But they only flee for a moment; they come back, throwing more explosives and projectiles at us.

He ignores them, slicing a few in half, leaving them bloodied on the floor before heaving me upwards. My lungs constrict as he wraps me in a protective bear hug, quickly fleeing, though not without consequence.

Though I'm half unconscious, I can see the miniature citizens chasing us, frantically climbing the ledge as the Apache Tracker leaps up. His muscles ripple as several miniature citizens pelt him with projectiles, tiny barbed arrows that stick in his back and shoulders. He grunts in pain, but with one last leap, comes up through lane five. He walks down the lane, gently setting me on the linoleum.

"Cecil…Cecil…I have to see Cecil…"

Teddy Williams crouches down next to me, rapidly performing a series of checks, running his hands all over my body. At every touch of his fingers, I can feel a wound healing. I don't know why; had it been any other time, I would have investigated this strange phenomenon further.

But I don't. With baited breath, I wait. Suddenly, he hoots loudly and the assembled crowd cheers, including Jeremy, who's no longer angry at his birthday party being messed up.

More hoots resound from Teddy and I jump up. I am alive. More alive than I have ever been. It feels invigorating. It feels…my gaze falls to the valiant man who rescued me. He is now laying on the linoleum, bleeding from every pore. I rush over, cradling his face in my lap.

"Apache Tracker, think you so much for saving me, for risking your own life for mine. You have no idea what a huge favor you have done for me."

He looks at me, eyes rapidly clouding with death. He reaches a hand up toward the Styrofoam panels of the ceiling and with his last breath, says "Ладно, ладно. Я знал, это случится. Ты можешь взять мою машину."

He falls limp in my arms and Teddy Williams lets out a mournful hoot, alerting the citizens of Night Vale that we have just lost one of our own.

I shed one tear out of courtesy, then jump up. Withouth looking back, I jog out the door, quickly sending a text to Cecil as I exit the building:

_Cecil, I need to see you. It's very important. Meet me at the Arby's Parking Lot. _

I send the text and hop in my car, my heart pounding to the beat of whatever unknown song is on the radio as I make my way to the Arby's.

* * *

Cecil arrives minutes after I park the car and climb out. My breath catches in my throat and my heart begins to pound at the sight of him; he is wearing a grey short sleeve t-shirt with a black vest over it. The t-shirt is open slightly at the top, showing off his chest hair, his legs rippling under a pair of tight jeans as he rushes towards me. I swallow.

"What is it? Wha-what danger are we in? What mystery needs to be explored?"

I swallow again and shake my head. "Nothing. After everything that happened…" I take a deep breath, my heart pounding in my ears. "I just wanted to see you."

"Oh?" It's a question, but he doesn't appear puzzled. His legs actually appear to be trembling. We stare wordlessly at each other, unsaid emotions seeming to bubble between us. Just close enough to not break the surface.

Sometimes, needless chatter is the best recourse. I turn my attention to the setting sun. "I used to think it was setting at the wrong time. But then I realized that time doesn't work in Night Vale, and that none of the clocks are real." I have to keep from laughing; the clocks seem so trivial now. "Sometimes things seem so strange, or malevolent, and then you find that, underneath, it was something else altogether. Something pure and…" I look at him. "Innocent."

"I know what you mean." He looks up at me and I extend a hand, helping him onto the trunk of the car. For a moment, we sit there, watching the sunset as it fades over the horizon, becoming rapidly replaced by beautiful lights in the night sky, dancing above the Arby's.

I cautiously reach a hand over, placing it on his knee. He says nothing, just scoots in a little closer, cuddling up to me and leaning his head on my shoulder.

In this moment, one thing becomes clear; in this vast universe, we are nothing but mere pawns. The universe will have its way with us, whether good or bad. I used to contemplate leaving Night Vale, going back to where I came from. But whether it's the lights over the Arby's; the lack of time; or the pending underground takeover, one thing's for sure.

With Cecil by my side? Well, that's all I'll ever need.


End file.
